Episode 685
HTC has subtly referenced Phil Dick by naming their forthcoming Android phone Dream. But is it a replicate? We'll never know. And of course Google is crumbling because their search traffic grew. You heard that right. We'll explain that theory and attempt to debunk it on the show. Stories Covered comScore releases February 2008 U.S. search engine rankings Google queries decelerated in February–comScore--Silicon Alley Insider Google data watch: Enough with the overanalysis Adobe realizes SDK not enough for Flash on iPhone Cablevision / Optimum coaxing CableCARD users back to HD set-top box (Thanks Dustin!) DRM-free BitTorrent video store from Sweden “Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister” to be found on P2P Android: HTC calls Android phone Dream, feels like one already E-voting vendor blocks security audit with legal threats XPERIA X1 white paper reveals yet more details Scientists create room temperature superconductor Cyborg insects survive to adulthood, ensure our doom Voice Mail * Kirk? One man’s reaction to the outage. * IBCRandy Microsoft’s gaming platform. * Fordo Cut off. E-mail More to say! Hey you guys - Your mailbox is full so I got cut off after about 10 seconds into my second, yes second, message to you. I just wanted to say that meeting Molly tonight was seriously like meeting half of Brangelina to me. It would totally have been a full Brangelina if you had been there, Tom. Swear. No lie. Not kidding. Did I already say that in my first message? I may have but, again…to review…the Fordo is somewhat hammered right now after the BOL meetup at Puck’s Fair so I’m not really sure what I said in that first message. So if I DID happen to mention that you and Molly have achieved Brangelina-like status in my mind, then great. But if I did not mention it, I would be remiss if I did not now mention it. So...there ya go. I have mentioned it. My work here is done. Carry on, my peeps. Carry on. Fordo, Queen of Fordovia New AJAX wiki inspired by BOL Hey buzz out loud crew! A few months back you announced that you had launched the Buzz Town wiki on Wikia. That was the first I heard of Wikia. But since you decided that a having a wiki was worthwhile, it inspired us to start thinking about a wiki. If it was good enough for you, it was good enough for us! So today we are launching our own wiki on AJAX and it would be great if you could give it a plug. The wiki is targeted to Web application developers (and their bosses) who want to use AJAX to develop cool interactive Web sites (such as CNET.com, Hulu, Mint.com.) or full fledged Web applications (like call centers or financial trading sites). The wiki at http://ajax.wikia.com identifies a list of UI components most commonly used in business software applications to develop a rich Internet application user experience. Developers and technology decision makers can use the wiki to benchmark which AJAX toolkits support the UI components that meet their specific requirements at the level of user experience. A little technical sounding I know, but since you were the inspiration for the wiki, and I know a lot of your audience is Web developers searching for tech news, I thought it might be relevant. Thanks and as always, keep up the great work. FYI: My must download podcasts are NPR, Slate, NakedScientist, Cringley, and Buzz Out Loud! So in my book, I rate you up there with the best! Tony DeYoung Catalyst Resources Numbering system Hey Buzz crew, This is regards to the number-base thoughts posed on episode 1E4. http://www.convertit.com/Go/ConvertIt/Calculators/Math/Base_Converter.ASP There was a civilization that had a base 20 system. It was the Maya who lived on Yucatán.http://www.michielb.nl/maya/math.html As to whether shoes or numbering systems came first, that is still unclear to me. This site shows Maya shoes, however you’ll notice that they are open-toed so would allow for the counting of toes for the base-20 system.http://www.mayashoes.com/ Love the show! Dave the prof Electronics recycling Hey Jomlly, In episode 684 you guys were wondering why Clover would recycle old and broken electronics for free. The answer is simple, high commodity prices; sure it costs them money to properly dispose of the hazardous chemicals and materials contained in these electronics, but that is more than made up for by the precious materials also contained in those devices. They get to harvest the now very expensive gold and copper in exchange for doing the environment a little good. Thanks, Kevin from Ontario Lost cost On yesterday’s show Tom mentioned that he kept cable so his wife could see Lost the day it aired. I wondered what that actually meant he was paying per episode of Lost. Lost started (according to IMDB) on in Sept. of '04 so that is 43 months ago. I guess at $50 per month for cable (although that is probably low if you have HD stuff) which comes out to $2,150. They have had 76 episodes (according to the Lost wikipedia page.) When you do the math that means Tom is paying $28.29 per episode of Lost! I know Tom sleeps on a bed of money but that is one heck of a premium to pay to see a show the same day it airs! Love the show. Eric Higgins-Freese